Using azolla for feed

Chicks after 20 days before you feed Using azolla as livestock feed NARDEP method of azolla production 1. It is important to keep azolla at the rapid multiplication growth phase with the minimum doubling time. Therefore biomass (around 200 g per square meter) should be removed every day or on alternate days to avoid overcrowding 2. Periodic application of cow-dung slurry, super phosphate and other macro and micronutrients except nitrogen, will keep the fern multiplying rapidly. 3. The temperature should be kept below 25 °C. If the temperature goes up the light intensity should be reduced by providing shade. If possible, it is best to place the production unit where it is shady. 4. The pH should be tested periodically and should be maintained between 5.5 and 7. 5. About 5 kg of bed soil should be replaced with fresh soil, once in 30 days, to avoid nitrogen build up and prevent micro-nutrient deficiency. 6. 25 to 30 percent of the water also needs to be replaced with fresh water, once every 10 days, to prevent nitrogen build up in the bed. 7. The bed should be cleaned, the water and soil replaced and new azolla inoculated once every six months. 8. A fresh bed has to be prepared and inoculated with pure culture of azolla, when contaminated by pest and diseases. 9. The azolla should be washed in fresh water before use to remove the smell of cow dung. Azolla should be harvested with a plastic tray having holes of 1 cm2 mesh size to drain the water. Azolla should be washed to get rid of the cow dung smell. Washing also helps in separating the small plantlets which drain out of the tray. The plantlets along with water in the bucket can be poured back into the original bed. When introducing azolla as feed, the fresh azolla should be mixed with commercial feed in 1:1 ratio to feed livestock. After a fortnight of feeding on azolla mixed with concentrate, livestock may be fed with azolla without added concentrate. For poultry, azolla can be fed to layers as well as broilers. Though there is no large-scale incidence of pests and diseases in silpauline based production system, pest and disease problems have been noticed during intensive cultivation. In case of severe pest attack the best option is to empty the entire bed and lay out a fresh bed in a different location. With this method the cost of production of azolla is less than Rs 0.65 per kilogram, which is equivalent to US$0.015 (see Table 2). Conclusion Azolla can be used as an ideal feed for cattle, fish, pigs and poultry, and also is of value as a bio-fertilizer for wetland paddy. It is popular and cultivated widely in other countries like China, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but has yet to be taken up in India, in a big way. Dairy farmers in South Kerala and Kanyakumari have started to take up the low cost production technology and we hope that the azolla technology will be taken up more widely by dairy farmers, in particular those who have too little land for fodder production.